Meaning:
Feeling euphoric and well-disposed towards those around you - induced by the
use of drugs, notably Ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
Background:
This term is British and emerged in the 1990s from the rave and dance club
scenes. There is an earlier citation from 1963, but the phrase didn't become
generally used at that time. The first printed reference to it that I can
find from the rave/clubbing period is the December 1991 issue of The Face:
"So all the lads became loved-up? No, this wasn't a cure for violence."
The phrase was used in 1995 as the title of a film, directed by Peter Cattaneo.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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I found the phrase in the Oxford American but not in the American Heritage
Dictionary and AI had no clue:
"Loved up" is an informal expression, and while it's used to describe being
in love, more formal synonyms include "in love," "enamored," "infatuated,"
"smitten," or "loving." Other related terms could include "dazzled,"
"charmed," or "thrilled," according to Thesaurus.com.
Wedesday noon, Tim and dad rode the train to SF and walked on the Embarcadero
toward the ferry building. Under a cast sky, traffic was light and everywhere
looked clean, scenic, and peaceful.
They came to see the new R-Evolution statue (a 45-feet tall nude woman) facing
down Market Street. "It symbolizes a female rebellion against venal capitalism
and a depraved society of oppression and toxic masculinity," Tim enthused,
practicing skills from his high-school Art History. After due worship and a few
photos, they headed down toward Civic Center as Tim wanted to see change, if
any, brought on by the new mayor. They did notice much less people loitering,
gathering, or camping on the broad clean sidewalks compared with a year ago.
Returning from city hall, they made right at 6th street and after a block turned
left on Mission Street toward 4th. The sidewalks were much narrower and thronged with
people. Darkly garbed men clustered on the paths and desolate alleys. Most of
them looked normal, some talked fast and loud, some stared in a daze, and a
young black guy in downy cream athletic attire and a pair of white Nike Air was
performing a jittery dance at the north corner of Mission and 5th, smiling at
everyone, and looking high as a kite or, as a Brit might say, well loved-up.
